Produced by Hugo & Luigi, the album was released in 1962 in the United States by RCA Victor.

The compilation contains most of Sam Cooke's most well-known hits from 1957 to 1962.

AllMusic critic Ron Wynn gave The Best of Sam Cooke three-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "an above-average greatest hits collection, although no sampler could fully convey Sam Cooke's genius.

"[4] In Blender, Robert Christgau was more critical, giving it one star and recommending listeners overlook the album in favor of the 30-song compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.

[5] In 2018, Sony Music reissued the album in its original vinyl format as part of the RCA Legacy Recordings series.